 | |
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Other names | African Goose |
| Classification | |
| APA | heavy goose [5] |
| EE | yes [6] |
| PCGB | heavy [7] |
| |
The African or African Goose is a breed of domestic goose. It is one of two domestic breeds that derive from the wild species Anser cygnoides , the other being the Chinese; all other domestic geese derive from Anser anser . Despite the name, it is not from Africa but is of Asiatic origin. It is a large bird, among the heaviest of all goose breeds.
The African Goose is one of two domestic goose breeds that derive from the wild species Anser cygnoides , the other being the Chinese, to which it is closely related. [8] : 364 [3] Domestication took place in north Asia, and birds of this type were later brought to Europe, possibly via Madagascar; [9] they were present in Britain before the end of the seventeenth century. [10] : 353
The brown variety was included in the first edition of the Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1874; the white was added in 1987, [5] and the buff in 2018. [11]
The African Goose is a large, heavy bird, among the heaviest of all goose breeds. [8] : 364 [10] : 353 [12] According to the British standard, weights are approximately 8–11 kg for geese and 10–13 kg for ganders; the Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter gives weights of 7 kg and 8 kg respectively. [8] : 364 [9] The birds may stand up to 90 cm tall. [8] : 364 The body is large and is carried at about 35° to the horizontal; the back is long and fairly flat, the breast and belly smooth and rounded. The tail is held above the back-line, particularly in ganders. [8] : 364 The head is large, with a large knob protruding forwards and upwards from the front of the head and the top of the upper mandible of the broad bill. The neck is long, thick and slightly arched, with a smooth crescent-shaped dewlap hanging below the lower mandible. [10] : 353
Three color varieties are recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain and the American Poultry Association: the grey or brown, the buff and the white. [10] : 353 The brown has wild-type plumage, with colors ranging from light to dark grey-brown (or light ash to dark slate), with black bill and knob and dark or brownish-orange shanks and feet. The white has pure white plumage, with orange bill and knob and light orange legs, and the buff has the same plumage pattern as the brown, but in colors ranging from light fawn to buff; the legs and webs are a light dull orange, the knob and bill a pinkish brown. [10] : 354 Only the grey/brown is recognised by the Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture. [6]
The African Goose is commonly reared for meat. [3] Geese lay about 25 eggs per year; the eggs are white and weigh some 130 g. [9] Ring size is 27 mm. [13]
The Welsummer or Welsumer is a Dutch breed of domestic chicken. It originates in the small village of Welsum, in the eastern Netherlands. It was bred at the beginning of the twentieth century from local fowls of mixed origin: Rhode Island Reds, Barnevelders, Partridge Leghorns, Cochins, and Wyandottes. In 1922–23, steps were taken to fix a standard after the birds began to show a good deal of uniformity. The eggs were originally exported for the commercial egg trade. Some stock was exported to the United Kingdom, and the breed was added to the British Standard in 1930.
The Chinese is an international breed of domestic goose, known by this name in Europe and in North America. Unlike the majority of goose breeds, it belongs to the knob geese, which derive from Anser cygnoides and are characterised by a prominent basal knob on the upper side of the bill. It originates in China, where there are more than twenty different breeds of knob goose.
The Leghorn, Italian: Livorno or Livornese, is a breed of chicken originating in Tuscany, in central Italy. Birds were first exported to North America in 1828 from the Tuscan port city of Livorno, on the western coast of Italy. They were initially called "Italians", but by 1865 the breed was known as "Leghorn", the traditional anglicisation of "Livorno". The breed was introduced to Britain from the United States in 1870. White Leghorns are commonly used as layer chickens in many countries of the world. Other Leghorn varieties are less common.
The Cochin is a breed of large domestic chicken. It derives from large feather-legged chickens brought from China to Europe and North America in the 1840s and 1850s. It is reared principally for exhibition. It was formerly known as Cochin-China.
The Indian Game is a British breed of game chicken, now reared either for meat or show. It originated in the early nineteenth century in the counties of Cornwall and Devon in south-west England. It is a heavy, muscular bird with an unusually broad breast; the eggs are brown.
The Sussex is a British breed of dual-purpose chicken, reared both for its meat and for its eggs. Eight colours are recognised for both standard-sized and bantam fowl. A breed association, the Sussex Breed Club, was organised in 1903.
The Plymouth Rock is an American breed of domestic chicken. It was first seen in Massachusetts in the nineteenth century and for much of the early twentieth century was the most widely kept chicken breed in the United States. It is a dual-purpose bird, raised both for its meat and for its brown eggs. It is resistant to cold, easy to manage, and a good sitter.
The Old English Game is a British breed of domestic chicken. It was probably originally bred for cockfighting. Two different standards are recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain: Carlisle Old English Game and Oxford Old English Game. There is also an Old English Game bantam.
The Wyandotte is an American breed of chicken developed in the 1870s. It was named for the indigenous Wyandot people of North America. The Wyandotte is a dual-purpose breed, kept for its brown eggs and its yellow-skinned meat. It is a popular show bird, and has many color variants. It was originally known as the American Sebright.
The Toulouse is a French breed of large domestic goose, originally from the area of Toulouse in south-western France. Two types are recognised: a heavy industrial type with dewlaps, the French: Oie de Toulouse à bavette; and a slightly lighter agricultural type without dewlaps, the French: Oie de Toulouse sans bavette. Both types are large, with weights of up to 9 kg. Birds bred in the United Kingdom and United States exclusively for showing may be still larger, and have a somewhat different conformation.
The Emden or Embden is a German breed of domestic goose. It is named for the town of Emden in north-westernmost Germany.
The New Hampshire Red or New Hampshire is an American breed of chicken. It was developed in the early twentieth century in the state of New Hampshire by selective breeding of Rhode Island Red stock; no other breed was involved. It is fast-growing, early-maturing, quick-feathering, and yields a meaty carcass. Mature birds are a light or medium red in color; they may fade in sunlight.
The American Buff is an American breed of domestic goose. It was accepted by the American Poultry Association in 1947. It is named for its single plumage variety, which is a pale buff or apricot-fawn in color.
The Magpie is a British breed of domestic duck. It has distinctive black and white markings reminiscent of the European magpie, and is a good layer of large eggs.
The Ancona is a breed of domestic duck, characterised by an unusual and variable broken-colored plumage pattern. It is not clear whether it originated in the United Kingdom or in the United States. It is not recognised or listed by the American Poultry Association, by the Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture, or by the Poultry Club of Great Britain.
The Saxony duck is a German breed of domestic duck. It was bred in Saxony in the 1930s, but because of the Second World War was recognised only in 1957.
The Vištinės or Vishtines is a Lithuanian breed of domestic goose. It was developed by selective breeding of traditional Lithuanian geese, with some later influence from the East Prussian, Emden and Pomeranian breeds.
The Niederrheiner is a German breed of chicken. It is named for the Niederrhein or Lower Rhine region where it originated in the early twentieth century, and derives principally from the Dutch North Holland Blue meat chicken. It was recognized in Germany in 1943. In the twenty-first century it is an endangered breed.
The Appenzeller Barthuhn is a Swiss breed of bearded chicken originating in the historical Appenzell region of Switzerland. It is one of two chicken breeds from that area, the other being the Appenzeller Spitzhauben; the only other Swiss breed of chicken is the Schweizer.
